The invention concerns a transponder label.
Transponder labels are used to label objects.
Transponders are passive electronic chips designed without a power supply, which are electromagnetically energized by a transponder reader and transmit stored information electromagnetically. Transponder chips have a flat design with small dimensions, which makes it possible to place them inside labels.
In many cases, transponder labels are designed in such a way that they can be printed before or after they have been applied to the object to be labeled.
During the printing operation, for example, with a thermotransfer printer, any protrusion of the chip causes problems. Specifically, even a very slight protrusion of the chip causes the printer head to be lifted slightly from the label in the area of the chip, so that unprinted surfaces on the transponder label can occur in the area of the chip. Therefore, transponder labels should have a surface that is as flat as possible without any areas that protrude even slightly.
DE 200 18 648 U1 discloses a transponder label with a printable upper film and a chip insert, which contains an electronic transponder chip in an elevation, and with a backing sheet that can be pulled off an adhesive layer on the underside. This transponder label is characterized by the fact that the chip insert is connected with an intermediate layer on its side that has the elevation. This intermediate layer has a recess in the area of the elevation, and the depth of the recess is at least approximately equal to the height of the elevation. As a result of the transponder chip being placed in the elevation and as a result of the intermediate layer, which is placed between the upper film and the carrier, being adapted to the elevation, a virtually flat, printable surface of the transponder label is obtained.
A disadvantage of this transponder label is its expensive assembly. Thus, it is not only necessary to place the transponder chip in an elevation specifically provided for this purpose, but it is also necessary to adapt the intermediate layer to this elevation. In addition, the elevation and the intermediate layer have a thickness that conflicts with the requirement for a very flat design of the transponder label, i.e., with the requirement that the applied transponder label not have any interfering protrusions.